Weird behavior

How long is your cable run? Are you using a DMX splitter such as the opto branch 4? Are you using actual DMX cable and not Mic cable? These are all things that could cause data problems.
Sincerely,

Run is approx. 90'. No splitter. All dmx and no mic cables. I did read somewhere a while back about someone complaining about weirdness and they were told to add a power supply to the dongle when runs were over a certain length. They said the usb was not sufficient to power a long run properly. Any truth to this?

that may work. Or a opti branch 4 will aswell.
Sincerely,

It may work? I was hoping for a more definitive answer. Financially, the opti branch is out of the picture right now. I just put all my money into the scanners and the DMX cables.

Hi Iguana, With DMX nothing can ever be certain to resolve issues as there are a lot of factors that can't be defined without actually being there.

For a fact the DMX signal the USB interface outputs is pretty weak because its powered by the USB power, however a 90' cable lenght is not really that long.

Consoles usually have a lot better dmx signal strength because they recieve direct 120V power.

This is where a Opto Splitter/booster are highly recommended.
It helps the Compu behave like a console in the DMX line.
Not to mention that with the amount of fixtures you are using, you should have an Opto splitter in your system regardless of the lighting console you are using.

Any how that would be the best solution for your symptoms.

What are the specs needed for the Ac adapter for the dongle? I see 9-12 DC. Are there milliamp specs as well? Does Elation sell these?

Any 9 volt Ac adapter will do. and elation does not sell them to my knowledge.
Sincerely,

Are you sure it's an AC and not DC adapter? The website says DC.

It's AC.
sincerely,

We have the power supply ShowDesigner 1. It works with the interface. It's about $20.00, Part number SD-PSU, but this will not work for what your trying to do.

Once you switch to ext. power you are disconnecting USB to PC thus your software will not communicate with interface.

Whats the power port on your box for you ask?
The idea behind your power port on your interface is generic for the 2048FC where the 2048FC works as stand alone. It hold scenes and shows and you can run without PC.

Best regards,

Before I run out and buy the opto branch 4 can you tell me why this is necessary? What exactly does it do? I tried an experiment today and just hooked up the LED's. Everything was fine. Hooked up my show with all the lights and the same blinking thing was happening. If the computer software via USB is not up to a complicated run of lights why not have that caveat on the products information on the website? Why doesn't Elation say anything about this in the Compulive literature? I am now sort of angry I paid to upgrade my controller to a computer based system only to find out I need to spend another $300 to make it work. Damn!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Elation_Pro:
For a fact the DMX signal the USB interface outputs is pretty weak because its powered by the USB power, however a 90' cable length is not really that long.

Consoles usually have a lot better dmx signal strength because they receive direct 120V power.

This is where a Opto Splitter/booster are highly recommended.
It helps the Compu behave like a console in the DMX line.
Not to mention that with the amount of fixtures you are using, you should have an Opto splitter in your system regardless of the lighting console you are using.

Like John said. the dmx going out of the dongle can be weak. the opto branch boost this signal and stabilizes and optically isolates it per output on the optobranch 4. This is really usefull as now you can run four dmx lines if you ever need to split you rig up and also if a surge or power failure ever occurs nad a spike gets sent down the dmx line it will only take out the DMX driver chip in one of the outputs on the opto thus saving your dongle. And after that you still have three outputs left. hope this helps. If not let me know where i can elaborate.
Sincerely,